Sarah Misselbrook Nottingham Trent University : first class honours degree in Fine Art For sales, commissions and to send comments to the artist click here
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Artist statement My work is a way of exorcising something from myself, which is very emotional, maybe troubled. I become a subject who produces that which is visible. It is my silent, non-verbal response. My practice involves digital photography, the manipulation of my body using this process, documentation of hair growth and removal, cleansing, grooming, this relentless self surveillance and obedience. There are a multiplicity of socio-cultural concerns about femininity and feminism, about the body, about individual control and consumption within a consumer society. Food is the medium through which women are addressed, in turn; food has become the language of women’s response. The artwork is a play on traditional sculptural concerns, the process of adding or taking away. However, this is not achieved using stone or wood but chocolate or soap, degradable or even edible materials which underline the transient state of the body. The final works show the seductive yet repellent nature of human anatomy. They embody ways of externalising a very internalised self-analysis of the body personal. Whether a morbid curiosity or a therapeutic exercise, this ‘body’ of work has been an insight into myself. Self mind; not image.
SARAH MISSELBROOK Sarah Misselbrook, Southampton born artist, has shown works locally and nationally in group and solo exhibitions. Recent Exhibitions: Sarah Misselbrook Havant Arts Centre (solo) December 2005 – February 2006 End of Year Show Michael Naimski Gallery London (group) December 2004 ‘Human’ a space Southampton (group) Nov-Dec 2004 ‘Absolution’ ArtVaults (solo installation) Aug-Nov 2004 ‘The Body’ One Tree Gallery Petersfield (group) February 2004 ‘Mind Consuming Body’ a space Southampton (solo) January 2004 ‘Self Portrait’ Southampton City Art Gallery (group) December 2003 Sarah Misselbrook Michael Naimski Gallery London (solo) October 2003 Misselbrook’s figurative sculptures have received great visitor numbers and press publicity, which has heightened anticipation for the forthcoming exhibition to be shown at The Bargate Monument Gallery. Misselbrook’s latest works ‘Affirmation’ make reference to global consumerism in relation to the feminising of the female whilst mocking an obsessive quest for the ideal. ‘I want the viewer to be reminded of our fate, in the face of our ironic pursuit of that which is unachievable due to our own material constraints,’ Sarah Misselbrook. These concepts are embodied in figurative sculptural installations, photographic prints and canvases as well as moving image. The works address issues surrounding the interior and exterior relations of the body, what we consider private or public, grotesque or normal. These polarities also exist in the relationship between the works and their environment. ‘Affirmation’ is specifically designed for installation in The Bargate Monument Gallery, a loaded space historically and culturally. The juxtaposition of contemporary artworks against a heritage site background underlines the transient state of human existence. With financial support from Arts Council, England, Misselbrook’s latest works show both theoretical and practical development further questioning the culturally inscribed body.
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